wedding idea

I can TOTALLY get down with a religious wedding reading at someone else's wedding. But when it came time to pick readings for my own wedding, it felt forced to be all Corinthians this and Ecclesiastes that. Rory and I are different religions (I'm Episcopalian, he's Jewish) and neither of us is particularly religious, so we went with a reading from my personal messiah: Carrie Bradshaw. His hello was the end of her endings Her laugh was their first step down the aisle His hand would be hers to hold forever His forever was as simple as her smile He said she was what was missing She said instantly she knew She was a question to be answered And his answer was "I do" My own wedding reading inspired me to dig up more offbeat wedding readings, which I compiled into a slideshow for all-a-y'all, The 10 Best Wedding Readings From Books, TV, and Movies. And my fave part: Our kick-ass art department styled a pretty quote pulled from each reading—from 90210, The Notebook, Love, Actually, and more—and they're kinda the best thing that's happened to Pinterest since single-serving cookies. Do you want traditional wedding readings? Or something totally different? read more

When Kate Hudson finally decides to walk down the aisle, I'm guessing it will be a laid-back affair. She and Muse frontman Matthew Bellamy have been going strong since 2011 with no sign of a wedding in sight, after all, so I don't see them hosting heavily orchestrated glam-o-rama nuptials when the time comes. Sure, homegirl can chic it up on the red carpet, but since her everyday style is so down-to-earth—see above—I'm guessing her wedding will be too. With that in mind, here are 14 beautiful boho wedding ideas inspired by Kate Hudson. Wedding dress by Aria Dress. Photo by Lucy Munoz. Bridal bouquet photo by Brumley & Wells. Stationery by Copper Willow. Wedding decor photo by Elisa B. Furniture from Found Rentals. Photo by Bryce Covey. Photo styling by Intertwined Events. Photo by Arina B. Photography. Escort cards display by Karson Butler Events. Photo by Amelia Johnson Photography. Headpiece by Petal and Thorn. Photo by Juneberry Photo. Flower girls photo by Robin Nathan. Vintage handkerchief styling by Sapphire Events. Photo by Meg Baisden. Cake styling by Stacey Lynn Design. Photo by Maya Myers. Laser Cutouts by Pitbulls and Posies. Styling by Sterling Social. Photo by Braedon Flynn. read more

Hey, sometimes weddings are called off—and what are you supposed to do with the food, the dress, the plans? Well, if you're anything like this couple, you host the reception anyway—with some slight adjustments. When Carol and Willie Fowler's daughter canceled her wedding, the couple reached out to Hosea Feed the Hungry, a local Atlanta organization, for ideas as to what they should do with the food and reception hall they'd secured. Together they decided that the elaborate reception (and four-course meals) should go on as planned—but with 200 homeless guests instead. The event was so well received—even by the Fowlers' daughter, Tamara—that the family has plans to host a Fowler Family Celebration of Love every year. Lemons, meet lemonade! Says Carol: "Events are canceled, and sometimes for unknown reasons. Give them an opportunity to use that for people that will not have an opportunity, perhaps in life." How awesome is that? Photo: Thinkstock read more

Warning: The video you are about to see—though mercifully short—is also a little bit awkward. OK, I honestly don't know much about what's going on here—none of the details are available at this point. (I do know the wedding looks beautiful, though!) But judging by the groom's face, as the priest is reprimanding the photographer and videographer, the couple probably did not anticipate this happening at all. So! Two key takeaways here are: * Talk to your officiant about the kinds of photography and videography you expect or hope for on the big day. If there's a particular shot you want—like, with these two, of you taking your vows—then explain that desire explicitly to make sure it's in line with his or her views as well. * Talk to your photographer and videographer about the kinds of shots that will or won't be allowed according to the procedures you've agreed on with your officiant. Clarity is key! And, you know, it's entirely possible this couple did have the right talks with all the associated parties—it's hard to know what really went down. But the lesson is still a good one, don't you think? AMAZING UPDATE! Noelle and Rob—the bride and read more

One of the reasons for which I will forever be grateful to my maid of honor: At the reception, she made me sit down, take off my shoes, and eat something. Meanwhile, she formed a one-woman human barricade next to me for about five minutes so that I had a forced period of rest. I didn't realize how much I actually needed until it happened—talk about getting a second wind. This is all to say that, at your wedding, you're going to be talking to a lot of people—everyone, as a matter of fact—and you will be on your feet. A lot. Some brides slip off the fancy shoes and slip on comfy tennies or ballet flats, post-wedding (or even pre-wedding), but even then, your feet may start to feel way achier or more tired than you ever suspected. So you owe it to yourself to make your shoes as comfortable as possible from the outset, right? If you pick high heels...your entire body weight gets shifted forward—which means lots of pressure at the front of your feet. According to the American Podiatric Medical Association, you should aim for a heel that's no more than two inches high, which helps read more

According to tradition, you freeze the top tier of your wedding cake and eat it on your one-year anniversary. (Here's how to do it if you want to—personally? We weren't too successful. But it was cool to see it in the fridge every day for a year!) But as much as your guests love cake, you might have some leftovers after the big day—and you don't have to let them go to waste. In fact, you can still have your cake and (ahem) eat it too. The Daily Meal came up with a tasty list of things to do with those tasty tidbits. These are my favorites (and they kind of make me wish I had cake right now): Put it in a sundae. Slice the cake into cubes and use it as your base for an ice cream sundae. Make ice cream sandwiches. In keeping with the ice cream theme, take pieces of cake and use a cookie or round biscuit-cutter to cut them into circles. Dip them in melted chocolate and sprinkle with cookie crumbs or nuts. Bonus: You can freeze to eat later. Use it in granola. OMG: wedding cake granola! Toast a few slices in the read more

No, we don't know who these newlyweds are, but they certainly made a splash when they got married during the pregame festivities at a University of Tennessee football game. Twitter was all—um, you know, all a-twitter about it: #IDo! RT @LauraLMonroe33: You know youre a true VOL fan when you have a combined tailgate / wedding at the game! #VFL pic.twitter.com/LVKqPsXx8J— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) September 7, 2013 Tennessee gameday tailgate wedding. The bride. pic.twitter.com/IorOsPjiZb— Zackary Peddicord (@PeddiVOL) September 7, 2013 Sure, there are some shorts present—and, of course, the requisite orange—but this hardly looks to be a just-beer-and-hot-dogs kind of affair. I mean, look at the bride walking down the grassy aisle in that long, strapless gown. It's definitely a wedding with a theme—but I don't think it's at all over the top. Do you? Photos: Thinkstock; Twitter read more

Inviting and including kids to your wedding can be a sweet thing—I mean, look at this: Alternatively, it could be like this (which is still kind of sweet, in an "aw, screamy" sort of way): The simple fact is: Some people want kids at their weddings and other people don't. Or maybe you want to include them without including them, if you know what I mean—have them around, but not necessarily in the middle of all the action (or readily available so that they can be spontaneously in the middle of the action). Whatever your preference—hey, it's OK! But it's important to let parents know what you want so they can plan accordingly. Here are a few ideas: * If you're OK with having kids on the premises but not at the ceremony (or give them an alternative to hanging out at the reception), consider hiring/enlisting trustworthy babysitters to watch them in an adjacent room, or—if you're having an outdoor wedding—in an enclosed grassy area. You can order pizza (cuts costs!), provide toys, video games, coloring books, chalk, magnifying glasses to look at bugs, etc. That way, they're around—and nervous parents can feel assured that their kids are nearby and read more

Whoa, talk about exclusive. According to The New York Times, the St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort in Puerto Rico has teamed with designer Lela Rose to offer three styles of wedding dresses, available only to brides having weddings at the resort. At first, I thought the dresses were part of the package—book a wedding, get a gown—but it's actually a bit cooler than that. These gowns by Lela Rose—which include an off-the-shoulder style, one with a sheer back, and one that has a dramatic flare at the bottom—are all custom-sewn (and start at $5,995 before alterations). If you're in New York City, where Rose is based, you can go to her boutique for fittings; if you live somewhere else, she'll send you the gown along with a list of recommended tailors in your area who can nip and tuck it into perfection. I, unfortunately, do not have pics of the gowns in question, but here's a gorgeous example of Rose's work that Kim posted a few months ago: An interesting option if you're kicking around Puerto Rico as your destination of choice, right? And you'd pretty much be guaranteed that almost no one would have the same wedding gown as read more

I'm not suggesting this bride and groom skip anything! I just needed a generic wedding picture, and I really like this one :) There have been so many fun updates to wedding receptions over the past five years (photo booths! late-night food trucks!), so it seems odd that wedding ceremonies have been pretty much the same since forever. So here are two updates I'm suggesting we implement, stat. 1) Ditch the "If anyone here objects " OK, obviously this isn't the biggest time-suck, but it seems a little outdated? Unnecessary? I mean, I know we're all hoping to be at the wedding where an ex comes crashing down the aisle yelling "I object!" but I'm pretty sure that doesn't happen in real life. 2) Nix the unity ceremony. I'm pretty sure the unity ceremony—which often involves a bride and groom lighting a candle together or simultaneously pouring sand into a vase—was invented in the past five or 10 years for couples who wanted to keep the religious elements of their wedding ceremony to a minimum. As half of a VERY nonreligious couple, I get this. Rory's Jewish, I'm Episcopalian, and neither of us is observant, so it would have felt forced read more

94 Stellar Wedding Ideas Follow these 3 steps to style a wedding-worthy sock bun. (No, really!) —Merci Or these 6 steps to a chic, rolled chignon. —Camille Styles Serve on of these 15 delish ice cream sandwiches at your wedding in lieu of (or alongside) wedding cake. —Huffington Post Score your wedding shoes for less than 40 bucks. —Offbeat Bride Try one of these 7 projects, all of which you can DIY in a day. —The Knot For good vibrations on your wedding night: Enter to win one of 5 Bridal Expo Pleasure Packs from Trojan ;) —The Knotty Bride Review these 11 hints for a happy marriage. —Southern Weddings Whip up these eye-catching, geometric garlands in just 7 steps. —Brooklyn Bride 5 Totally Awesome Real Weddings SO many sweet details—like the adorbs cake topper, above—at this Hairspray-inspired wedding. —Rock N Roll Bride This industrial wedding venue is SO cool. —Ruffled A little rain didn't ruin the party for this bride and groom. —DIY Bride Love the rainbow wedding dresses at this wedding in Romania. —The Bride's Cafe Loads and loads of gorgeous, glittery inspiration. —Wedding Chicks Are you doing anything wedding-y this weekend? I had a long, rough read more

Some guests REALLY don't need the free champagne! There are some things that are so present at every wedding, it's easy to forget that we don't NEED, say, a garter toss to make our marriage official. Here are three nonessentials you can easily ditch to create a little wiggle room in your wedding budget. CHAIR DECORATIONS I've been to 70-something weddings in my day, and I can't tell you what the bride was wearing at most—never mind what the chairs were wearing. I can tell you that I've never thought, post-wedding, "The ceremony would have been beautiful if the chairs had a few more flowers" or "Those giant chair bows really MADE the reception, right?" A CHAMPAGNE TOAST People who want to drink champagne {like me! } can order it at the bar. There's no need to give every guest a glass of bubbly when at least half of them won't touch it. Let your guests toast your marriage with whatever's on the table, whether it's water, whiskey, or Diet Coke. (The champagne doesn't guarantee the marriage will last longer, I promise!) DINNER MENUS If your guests selected their entree on the RSVP card, there's no need to remind them read more

Just kidding with the pill photo. I'm not suggesting you knock back a bunch of Quaaludes on your wedding day! Wedding day stress is pretty much inevitable. You're hosting a party for 100 or so of your nearest and dearest, and at least half of the key players (moms, 'maids, flower girls) expect you to play social coordinator for the first half of the day, directing people to the hair and makeup team, making sure everyone eats—plus, "Hey, have you seen my bridesmaid dress?" "Who moved my shoes?" and "The caterer's on the phone!" Oh, AND you have some major primping and prettifying to do yourself. And all this has to happen before you step into your wedding dress—usually by early afternoon. It's enough to put anyone on edge. So here's my recommendation: MAJORLY pad the timing of all your morning events. If the hair salon wants your 'maids there for 10 A.M., ask them to arrive by 9:30. When you book your own stylist, request a double appointment so she's not rushing off to coif your mother-in-law, leaving you with a not-quite-right updo. (If you have to pay extra for this—and you might—it will be the best $$$ you read more

66 Fab Wedding-y Tidbits: Review these 9 beauty tips before your big day. —SheFinds Try these 7 wedding-y statement necklaces on for size. —The Bride's Cafe Check out these 4 ways to use honeycomb balls. (Are honeycomb balls the new paper lantern?!) —Brooklyn Bride Pick up one of these 10 dapper outfits for your four-legged guests. —Pet Sugar Don't make the 13 mistakes these brides made while you're planning your wedding. —Huffington Post Consider these 3 lessons you should know before marriage. —Relevant Dress up your bouquet: Here are 20 ways to add a DIY wrap to your wedding flowers. —Brides 5 Extra-Special Real Weddings Grooms in shorts? Why not, at a fab beach wedding in the Bahamas. —The Bride's Guide Loving the tutu-ish bridesmaid dresses at this Iowa wedding. (I think they're Wtoo. If anyone wants me to investigate further, say the word!) —A Northwoods Wedding SO many gorge details at this glam "secret garden" wedding in NYC. —Ruffled Loving this wedding's Lite-Brite-ish name sign—and not just because the bride's name is Kim! —DIY Bride Onnnnne more real wedding, just because I love a groom in uniform (top pic). —Inspired by This Also: Tina Turner's getting married again read more

I love the idea of getting a bride and groom a gift that commemorates their wedding, but most items emblazoned with a wedding date are a little bit cheesy, IMO. Enter these custom posters—from Etsy seller Benign Objects—which are totally cute without screaming "WEDDING KEEPSAKE!" Here are all five designs you can currently choose from: I'd love to have one of these for our new house since I feel like I'm ALWAYS at risk for forgetting our wedding date. I just wish there was a non-mountain-y generic option, since we were married at a winery in Connecticut. I guess B would be the closest? It would also be fun to pick up one of these for a recently engaged couple (or as a recently engaged couple) since you could scan the design and use it for save-the-dates, programs, custom wine bottle labels—and about 4 billion other things. So cute! Would you buy a custom wedding poster for a friend? As a bride, would you like to receive one? Obviously they won't match every couple's style, but if you know a couple well enough to be attending their wedding, hopefully you can judge whether they'd be into a gift like read more

I know, I know. A wedding with a Crayola-inspired palette sounds about as chic as Rainbow Brite. But I SWEAR it can look totally grown-up and gorgeous! Here's proof: Rainbow Love Wedding Tote From WeddingChicks via Lover.ly Photo by: Laura Murray Photography on Bridal Musings via Lover.ly Photo by: Jenna Cole Photography on Snippet and Ink via Lover.ly Photo by: We Heart Pictures on Wedding Chicks via Lover.ly Photo by: Laura Murray Photography on Bridal Musings via Lover.ly Photo by: We Heart Pictures on Wedding Chicks via Lover.ly Milk Chocolate Nonpareils (Rainbow) From Nuts.com via Lover.ly Photo by: Kaysha Weiner Photographer on Equally Wed via Lover.ly Photo by: We Heart Pictures on Wedding Chicks via Lover.ly Photo by: Beaux Arts Photographie on Kelly Oshiro via Lover.ly I realize after I rounded all this up that Save the Date looks kind of like a rainbowfest today—and a rainbow palette would totally work for a bride and groom, a bride and a bride, or a groom and a groom. So, happy coincidence! For more rainbow-speration, check out the Glamour Rainbow bundle on Loverly! Would you have a rainbow wedding palette? Or will you stick to something a little more muted? Which of read more

I was clicking around the WWW recently when I stumbled across a blog post called "11 Tech Items to Consider for Your Wedding Registry." And proceeded to spit coffee all over my laptop. {But don't worry! It seems I'm allowed to register for a new one! } I'm not naming any blog names, but here's the list: 1. DSLR camera, like the Nikon D800 2. Laptop 3. iPad 4. Flat-screen TV 5. Record player, like this affordable Wood Turntable 6. iPod speakers 7. Blu-ray player 8. Gaming system 9. Stereo system with surround sound 10. The Nest Thermostat 11. High-tech washer-dryer I know I tend to be old-fashioned when it comes to registries, but lots of the items on this list made me cringe. The writer did check in with etiquette pro Anna Post, who said it's fine to have tech-y items on your registry, which I agree with, but I'm wondering if she shared the above list of "a few basic items to consider." For starters, No. 1 is a THREE THOUSAND DOLLAR camera. I'm all for adding registry gifts that multiple guests can chip in for, but this just seems greedy. 2, 3, 4, and 9 could read more